El Infierno Verde
by Dr Facer
Summary: There are places where you don't want to get lost. One of them is the Amazon Jungle, home of many dangerous things and, as Ryoga Hibiki is about to discover, some of those things should stay in hell.


Disclaimer: Ranma ½ and all related Characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz communications.

El Infierno Verde

By

Dr Facer

---1---

There is a jungle where, if you get lost, you will find most of the sunlight blocked by the thick foliage above your head. The air is hot and humid and plagued by the smell of decaying vegetation; where the ground is soft and sticky, because you're almost always standing on mud. A place where numerous insects live only to use you as a host and eat you alive. This is a place that houses animals which could kill you in an instant: poisonous, giant snakes, alligators, jaguars, spiders, even the wild boars are very dangerous. A place were a massive, seemingly endless river flows, a river of murky and dark waters where deadly fish inhabits: flesh eating piranhas, parasitic fishes that can enter your body and drink your blood, voracious snake-like fish that can stick to your abdomen until they consume your entrails.

And then, there are the maddening nights in this jungle. It's so dark it feels like the shadows are trying to steal your breath. The dark nights, however, are not silent. They are full of terrifying noises made by animals and insects alike. And night is, by much, the dominion of a massive army of mosquitoes that only wants to eat you alive. Other creatures enjoy the night: the spiders like to hunt in the dark, the jaguars too, and if that's not enough, snakes are also fond of hunting for their prey at night.

Yet, despite all this, it really is one of the most beautiful places in the whole world.

This is the Amazon Jungle. It is also known as 'El infierno verde' - the Green Hell.

And it is here where a young martial artist known as Ryoga Hibiki had been lost for the last fifteen days.

---2---

"The river. Again." Ryoga muttered unenthusiastically. He had been trying to stay away from it; since getting the Jusenkyo curse he had learned to avoid rivers and lakes when he's in the wild. After staring at the brownish waters for a few minutes, he wondered if perhaps following the river would be a good idea. People often live near rivers.

"And I really need to get some food." Ryoga ran out of canned food and instant noodles five days ago and hunting animals to eat was not something he enjoyed. He didn't hunt much before getting cursed and he hated it now; turning into a small pig that is often considered a delicious meal has changed his mind about hunting.

He also needs to get bottled water, since the dirty water from the river has so far proven to be almost undrinkable; (he's dared to drink from it only three times, after he boiled it first six times before filtering it through one of his spare shirts). Silently hoping to find a town, the young man resumed his walking.

Some time after, the lost boy stopped and sat under a tree. The sun was slowly descending, marking the end of that day. The young man knew what that meant: the mosquitoes would come out and they would be on him like rabid dogs.

"I hate those insects." Ryoga sighed as he reached for his trusty tent. Given the heat and humidity of the air, he would prefer to sleep in the open, but after trying that his first night here and being bitten almost to death by those cursed mosquitoes, he learned that it's better to endure sleeping in the tent, no matter how uncomfortable, it was better than being stung by hundreds of hungry mosquitoes. Hurrying, the young man set up his camp and hoped for a quiet and uneventful night.

Hours later, a strange sound woke him up. Ryoga thought it was the monkeys at first, but when the sound didn't stop, he remembered that he had yet to see an ape moving at night. Slowly, he opened his eyes and as quietly as he could, looked around him, trying to figure out what it was that kept scratching at his tent. It was too dark to actually see anything but despite the darkness, Ryoga could tell the sound was in front of him.

---Sssshhheeee…----

---Sssshhheeee…----

"What the hell?" He whispered. The sound grew louder as Ryoga felt something press against the side of the tent.

---Sssshhheeee…----

---Sssshhheeee…----

The sound was even louder now and not just that, the tent was moving! Whatever it was, it was trying to get in! It was strong enough to shake the whole thing with him inside! He didn't know where he was and couldn't think of what kind of animal was outside!

And then, he heard the sound he least wanted to hear in that moment.

---Riiiippp!---

The animal was now trying to get inside the tent. Quickly judging by the sound, Ryoga decided it was a large cat, probably a tiger, which was something he could handle if he had to. At that moment, Ryoga was glad he didn't fear cats like Ranma. Reaching for his flashlight, Ryoga prepared to fight off the animal.

The shaft of light from Ryoga's flashlight found its target instantly, revealing a large orange feline with black dots all over. It was a jaguar, the cat with the strongest bite in the world, able to break a wild boar's skull with its jaws, the animal also had deadly claws and it was fairly strong. In fact, it was enough to provide Ryoga a worthy challenge giving the small space he had to defend himself.

However, seeing the jaguar gave the young man a clue as to where he was. Jaguars were one of two of America's largest wild cats, he'd learned that when he once got lost in Mexico.

"Hello, Mr. Cat." Ryoga said, trying to make his voice sound firm, "Why don't you just go? I'm sure you'll rather eat something else instead of me."

The cat didn't move and just stared at the teenager from outside the tent, as if issuing a challenge.

"Oh, you don't want to go?" Ryoga raised his umbrella and pointed at the large cat with it, "You don't want me to use this. I can assure you that."

The jaguar growled and raised one of its paws, scratching at the tip of the heavy umbrella, almost as if to say it was not scared at all.

"What a smart cat." Ryoga, despite himself, couldn't help but chuckle as he lowered the umbrella. "Shooo! Go away! I don't feel like fighting with you now!"

Then the jaguar did something strange. Something very strange: it purred, entered the tent and curled into a ball in one corner.

"Hey! Get the hell out!" Ryoga yelled and reached to hold the large cat and toss it out.

---GRRrrooooWWWllllLLL!---

Stating it didn't want to be touched with that loud growl accompanied by a quick slash of its claws, the jaguar managed to scare Ryoga to the other side of the tent.

"Alright, stay there if you want." The young man said, his hands trembling slightly. Of course, he wasn't scared, not at all. Well… maybe a little, you see, Ryoga had this extreme aversion to anything that had big teeth and attempted to bite him, courtesy of being chased by wolves once he got lost and was in his pig form.

And then, he heard another sound, a buzzing sound. The mosquitoes had arrived. A second later he felt the first one on his naked arm and he promptly squashed it. More would come soon, of course.

"You damn cat!" Ryoga mumbled. Not only did the cat barge in so it could sleep inside his tent; it ruined it as well.

"Now all the damned mosquitoes will be able to come in!" In the end, Ryoga ended up going outside, several meters away from the tent and hid under the roots of a massive tree. He fell asleep much later, after ignoring a cloud of mosquitoes for what felt like hours.

---3---

"Well, let me look at you. I want to thank the man who was kind enough to let me sleep in his tent last night."

Ryoga woke up slowly. Was that a woman's voice? And was she speaking English? Curious, Ryoga opened his eyes.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!"

When his eyes focused, Ryoga found a rather pretty woman kneeling besides him with a smile in her face. She had brilliant golden hair falling to her middle back, milky white skin and deep blue eyes. She appeared to be in her mid twenties. Ryoga then noticed she was wearing his yellow shirt and his spare black pants. Faced with this, Ryoga did something natural to him when in a state of shock: He screamed his lungs out.

"You didn't have to yell." The woman complained, her English had a heavy British accent, "I just wanted to say thanks for the shelter and the clothes!"

"Who are you?" Ryoga demanded, too surprised for his natural shyness to kick in and slightly scared of not understanding this woman.

"What are you saying?" The woman looked at Ryoga as if he had just grown a second head, "I can't understand anything you're saying, I couldn't last night either. Can't you speak English, Spanish or Portuguese? I can speak those three."

Ryoga's mind finally calmed down enough for him to process what he was being told. He crossed his arms for a moment, being lost all time, Ryoga had learned a bit of several languages; his English was quite good if a little bit rusty, he could try some Spanish but he didn't know enough of it. Sighing, he switched to English, "Who… are… you?"

"So, you can speak English! Goodie!" The woman smiled again, "My name's Ann Davis, what's yours?"

"Ryoga Hibiki."

"Well then, nice to meet you Ryoga Hibiki!" The woman smiled again, "So, why don't you tell me what are you doing here all by yourself? Where you part of a group that got separated or maybe all your friends died?"

"I'm here by myself." Ryoga replied, now fully awake and not so surprised, his mind started to analyze the situation. Where did this woman come from? And where is the jaguar? Did she kill it?

"You're alone?" Ann stared hard at Ryoga. He appeared to be Asian and as lost as she was, "Don't be offended, but I find it very hard to believe."

"I'm not lying! I'm really alone, and I got LOST!" Ryoga yelled, "Was that what you wanted to hear?"

The young woman laughed, "I knew it!"

"Cut that out." Ryoga demanded; he didn't like being laughed at, "So what if I'm lost? You seem to be lost as well!"

"Yes, I am." Ann said, "I've been lost for about a year. It's nice to finally see another human being who can understand me. The natives can't speak any of the languages that I know."

"You've been lost a whole year?" Ryoga couldn't believe it, "Is this jungle that big?"

"One of the largest in the world, kid. If not the largest." Ann said.

"Just where the hell are we?"

"The Amazon Jungle, in Brazil if I'm not mistaken. It could be Venezuela." The woman said, suddenly growing serious, "But you are right Ryoga, this place is hell. A really huge green hell. "

"The name suits the place."

The woman looked at Ryoga and sighed, "It does, and it gets worse the longer you're here."

"All that's very interesting Ann, but…"

"But what?" Ann asked.

"You don't look like a woman who has been lost for a year." Ryoga said. There, he'd been expecting for a chance to say that. Ann didn't look like a lost person. She was far too clean, her skin was too clear and she looked well fed.

"And how do you know?" She asked, raising her voice and crossing her arms. Ann hated it when people didn't believe her.

"I know a lot about being lost." He answered, "Trust me on that."

"Well… there's a very good explanation about that." She said, still raising her voice.

"And why did you say that you couldn't understand what I said last night? I only talked to that Jaguar, by the way, where did it go and where did you come from?"

"I…"

"Did you kill it or something? And why are you wearing MY clothes?" Ryoga asked, slightly annoyed at the angry tone of voice Ann was using when she talked to him.

"No. Look Ryoga, what happened is just that…"

"What?"

"You won't believe me if I told you." She said and lowered her eyes, "You'll think I'm crazy and I really don't want that, after all, I was expecting to get some help from you."

Ryoga didn't know what to say. She was right, she was wearing his spare clothes, which meant she needed the help and here he was… urging her for answers she didn't want to give.

"I'm sorry." He said, bowing slightly, "I didn't mean to be so rude."

Ann smiled again. She was a woman who had a cheerful personality, and Ryoga's honest apology was enough to brighten her mood, "It's fine. But I was serious; you're probably not going to believe me."

"Try me." He challenged, "I've seen a lot of weird stuff."

"After breakfast, kid." Ann said, "I checked your stuff and I saw you have a portable stove and other things I can use. Would you like some stew? I'll cook."

Ryoga smiled. Real food! How had he missed it!

---4---

"Did you like it?"

Ryoga smiled and patted at his full stomach, "That stew you made was great! It's been months since I had a real meal!"

"Great! I thought I forgot how to cook!" The woman smiled and placed her empty plate aside, "Wait a minute, did you say Months?" Ann asked as she checked the empty pot she had used to cook the macaw stew, "I thought you said you've been here for days?"

Ryoga blushed, "Well… I've been lost for a couple of months now. I just got here by accident."

"You make it sound as if you don't have a working sense of direction." She joked.

The young Hibiki stared hopelessly at his plate, wondering if he should tell her about his family problem with directions.

"Hey! Don't be so gloomy!" The woman said cheerfully, "If you're like that I won't feel like telling you why I'm here and what happened to the jaguar!"

The lost boy brightened immediately. It was better to listen to someone else's problems than to think on his own, "Please do."

"Well… you're the first person I'm going to tell, so I hope you understand if it's confusing." Ann sighed as her mood turned sour, "It's also not a nice memory, but I appreciate that you're willing to hear me. The best way to get rid of a bad memory is sharing it, or at least that's what my mother told me when I was little."

Ryoga nodded and waited for her to continue.

"I was a part of a team, a scientific team." She started, "I'm not a scientist, of course. I was the translator. Some of the team members didn't speak the same language as the others. I was there to help them understand each other during the expedition and during the times they shared the results of their research."

"What were you researching?"

"We were researching the Yanomamos, a native tribe very few have ever seen."

"Did you find them?"

Ann shivered a little, "Unfortunately, yes."

"Why, I thought you needed to find them?" Ryoga asked.

"I… do you…" Ann cleared her throat, "Do you believe in magic, Ryoga?"

Ryoga smiled. After Jusenkyo and some of the things he'd seen while hanging around Ranma, made him very much a believer, "Yes." He said, "I do."

"Do you really?" She asked, "I know it was a strange question, but I really have to know if you believe in magic. Real magic, not the one you see in a children's party."

"I told you I do." He said seriously, "I really believe that magic exists."

"Good. Because that's what got me where I am."

"Lost?"

"Yes, and royally screwed."

"What do you mean?" The teenager asked, "Did something happen with the natives?"

Ann shook her head no and then she smiled again, "Of course not, we were nice to them and they were nice to us. The problems started after we left the tribe. You see, our boat broke down unexplainably. One day… it just stopped working! The engine broke for no apparent reason and we had no radio either!"

"And what happened then?"

"Well… we decided to stay there for the night just to try and fix it the next day. That's when the leader of the team decided it would be fun to take a night walk in the jungle all by himself… we found him next day…he… he was dead… no blood in him, but he had hundreds...hundreds of small wounds all over his body!"

Ryoga shifted uncomfortably in his tree trunk, but said nothing.

"The wounds were too big to be bug bites, said our doctor, but now, a year after, I'm not that sure… we buried the body and focused on fixing the boat. I suggested that we should go back to the village and ask if they could give us a guide to go to another village and then we could get another guide and so forth, until we could reach civilization… but nobody listened to me."

Ann stared nervously at the trees around them and shivered a little, "We were already too far away to try and go back, we didn't have many weapons, only three rifles and four handguns, with limited ammo, so it was a risk the team didn't want to take… the second night, the captain of our boat, a Brazilian tough man vanished and we never found him."

"What did you do?"

Ann stood and started to pace around nervously, "Nothing, without a captain the ship was almost useless, none of us knew how to navigate that well. We didn't know the river. Still, we had no choice. We kept trying to fix the damned boat. By the third night, we finally succeeded. The engine was repaired… but…"

"Somebody else got missing?" Ryoga ventured.

"No. Something worse happened. We were only four by then, our team was not that big to begin with, and that third night… I was on the deck with our doctor and… he suddenly was swarmed by flies… they stuck to him… they were doing something, I… I don't know what! All I know is that it was hurting him! I tried to help but he fell to the river and… he never came up… it was like the river had swallowed him…"

Ryoga took a deep breath and wondered what was magical about all this she was telling him. Maybe all that happened to Ann's crew was just a case of extreme bad luck, maybe not. But now he at least knew why she called this jungle a green hell. What worried him the most, though, was the way the people died. It didn't seem plausible and it was a little scary to know flies could actually attack you like that.

"We were only three." She said and sat down again, this time on the muddy ground, hugging her legs, "And they didn't trust me anymore… they probably thought that I killed the doctor… the jungle… it was making them think in a different way it was… it was driving them insane. I know that because I felt the same way, I heard the voice that came from the deep green around us and I knew they hear it too… but they never say anything, because doing so… it would mean that we all admitted that we were insane. That voice… it talked in a language that I didn't understand, but I could understand what it wanted me to do, because the words turned into images, thoughts, that filled my mind… it said she was a witch, she wanted me to go into the jungle and…"

Ann paused when she realized she was trembling. Ryoga noticed this as well.

"Are you alright?" He asked, "Should I get you something?"

"I'm fine." Ann whispered, "It's just that… the memories are not nice… and what I've told you so far is not even the worst that had happened…. I'm fine, and I want to finish my tale, in case I don't make it out of the forest and you do… at least you will know my story… that would be… something good, right?"

Ryoga nodded and sat again on his tree trunk, gazing at Ann with true concern.

"That afternoon was terrible. As you know I was alone with two men. They were good men, an anthropologist and a botanic… very intelligent and civilized men… but by sunset… I don't know why… perhaps because the voice had been very loud that day… they started to fight over who should… over who should… 'do it' with me…" Ann trembled a little, "I ran to the engine room and locked myself inside. I could hear them fight… it got too violent and… God! I can still hear the gunshots!"

"Don't tell me they…"

"Killed each other?" Ann sighed weakly and sadly, "They did. I… waited until the next morning to leave the engine room… they were on the deck… bugs were already eating their flesh and some carrion birds were pocking at their eyes… somehow they both shot each other in the face… it was…" She covered her face with her hands and shivered, but it lasted only for a moment.

She took a deep breath and steeled herself to continue her tale, "Can you imagine how I felt? I was alone in a moving boat in the middle of nowhere, I tried the radio but it was as dead as my friends! My cell phone was useless too, no signal available here!"

"What did you do?" Ryoga asked. He wouldn't admit it to Ann, but her story was making him nervous, very nervous.

"I entered a state of panic and somehow managed to take the boat to the shore… I thought that I could walk back to the village and live there until a search party came looking for us… it seemed as the best thing to do then… now I wonder if staying in the boat and dying there would have been better."

"Why, what happened?"

"I got lost. I had a handgun with me and some ammo and I did try to follow the river back to the village but… I found some places I couldn't pass through. The vegetation was just too dense for me to pass and… and it was getting late… before I knew it, night was all around me… then, the voice came again… I can't tell you what it wanted me to do… I almost obeyed it, but I couldn't do that I… I didn't want to kill myself! So I ran away from it... then the monkeys started to follow me. It was impossible that they were that active at night, but they were and they wouldn't leave me alone! I remember that I shot at them… I shot at them many times until I ran out of ammo… by the time I stopped running… I didn't know where I was, it was too dark and noisy and the bugs were making those demented sounds you probably already know and… I tripped and fell and I don't know how, but I did sleep, all the time listening to the voice cursing me for running away from her… her final curse however I do remember very well…" Ann stopped; she was crying and trembling now.

"I…I'm sorry." Ryoga offered, unsure of what to do.

"The jaguar last night…" Ann said in a low voice.

"What about it?"

"It was me. The voice did that to me. It said I would become a part of the jungle forever. It said I would never leave as a normal human. It said I would turn into a beast until the day I died." Ann laughed nervously, almost as if she was one step away from falling into a hysteric fit of laughter, "It wasn't until the next night that I understood what the voice meant. I turned into a jaguar and remained like that until the next morning."

The woman sighed and closed her eyes, "It's been like that for a year. Eventually I lost my clothes and I stopped caring about a lot of things… But I could hunt better as a jaguar and eat and drink more. I even stopped eating during the day… all day I slept so I could have energy for the nights.

Ann hugged herself and hesitated for a moment before she resumed her tale.

"I… I tried to kill myself a few times…" She said in a low, hesitant voice, "But no matter how bad I hurt myself, when night came, I was a jaguar again and the next morning my wounds would be gone… the only good thing is that I have never heard that voice again."

Ryoga just stared at Ann, he truly believed her, even if he didn't really understand all she'd just said. It was too tragic. He even wondered how she managed to remain sane.

"When I saw your tent last night…" Ann started, "I was very happy. I hadn't seen anything man-made in months. I'm sorry that I ruined it, but I just had to get inside."

"It's ok." Ryoga answered. He had a spare in his backpack. It was smaller than the one Ann ruined, but it would work just as well.

"I'm sorry that I took your clothes too, but… you understand that I just couldn't show myself naked to you, could I?"

"That's fine, too." The young Hibiki said, blushing slightly at the idea of a naked Ann, "What are you going to do now?"

"Stay with you." She said, "At least until we're out of here. I… I'm tired of being alone and I think you could use my help. I can get you food every night in case you don't know how to hunt, would you like that?"

Ryoga offered her a small smile and nodded. It was strange, but he felt a strong kinship to this woman, who was also lost and cursed like he was.

"Ryoga, we're getting out of this jungle, right?" She asked eagerly, "I can count on you to help me find a way out of here, right?"

"Of course you can!" He said immediately. As a martial artist, it was his duty to help her escape the jungle.

"Do you promise?" She asked.

"I swear it." He said, "You will be out of this jungle soon. I'll make sure of it."

Ann smiled and held Ryoga's hands between hers. It felt strange. To have a man's hands on her own after so long… and it was nice, too. "Thank you Ryoga."

---5---

For the next six days, Ryoga and Ann traveled together. All things considered, this was not so bad for the young man. Being lost all alone was always a terrible experience, but being lost with a pretty, young woman who actually considered him a friend, made it feel like a picnic.

They have been following the river, and so far they had yet to find traces of human civilization. But they didn't abandon hope.

"How old are you?" Ann asked him one cloudy morning, shortly after they left the tent to prepare breakfast.

"Sixteen." Ryoga said, eating the boiled egg that was his breakfast.

"I thought you were older." She said, "I'm twenty five, nine years older than you."

"Does it bother you?"

The woman chuckled, "No, of course not. It's good. You can be like my little brother."

Ryoga was about to answer but, unfortunately, it started to rain. To Ann's surprise, his new titled 'younger brother' shrank and turned into a miserable looking black piglet. After a second of doubt, the woman picked the pig and ran into the tent.

"It's going to rain for hours. It was about time it rained, you know." She said to the small pig, "I don't know why you turned into a pig, but I bet it's a very interesting story, can you turn into a man again right now?"

The piglet shook its head no.

"Do you need something special to turn back into a human?"

The small pig nodded.

"Well, I guess we'll have to wait until the rain stops. Stay here. I'll go get the kettle and your clothes before the water drags them to the river."

The pig stared at the woman as she walked out of the tent and picked the kettle from the extinguished fire they were sharing before it started to rain. Ryoga was mentally kicking himself for not telling Ann about Jusenkyo earlier, but he'd hoped he could keep his curse a secret from her. Now, he only hoped the water in the kettle was still hot and that Ann had the sense to bring it inside.

Luckily for him, she did just that, and judging by the steam that came over the kettle, the water was still hot. The pig smiled, he could become human again.

"Here's your clothes Ryoga, sorry but they're really wet. There are still two eggs on the kettle, you want one...? Hey!" Ann yelled in surprise as the small black pig jumped at her and knocked the kettle over itself. She gasped at the sight of Ryoga's transformation, wondering if he felt a tingle like when she changed.

"Sorry about that." Ryoga muttered as he hastily covered himself with his sleeping bag. He cursed the fact that he didn't have more spare clothes available.

"What was that?" Ann asked as she tried to understand what had happened to her friend, she wondered if he too, had met the witch, "Why did you turn into a pig?"

"I had an accident in China." Ryoga said, trying to relax as best as he could, "I fell on a cursed spring in a place called Jusenkyo, and I turn into a pig every time I'm hit with cold water. Hot water reverses the effect, but only until the next time."

"That sucks." Ann said, "It's even worse than my own animal curse."

"Tell me about it." Ryoga sighed and closed his eyes. Ann was right. She at least turned into something that could defend itself.

"I'm sorry." She said, "Is there a cure?"

"I would have to go back to the place I got the curse to find it." He answered.

"If it helps, I promise I'll help you find it once we're out of here."

Ryoga nodded and wondered if it was true it would rain for hours, the sound of raindrops falling over his tent was starting to annoy him.

"Could you pass me the blanket?" Ann asked.

"Why?"

"I'm drenched and I don't want to get a cold, I'll have to undress as well."

Ryoga froze. An image of Ann, with her sexy, naked figure in front of him flashed in his mind and his nose started to heat up.

"Oh! If you don't want to, I'll just grab it myself!" She said angrily.

"No, it's not that!" He managed to say and passed the blanket to his friend quickly, "It's just that… I'm not used to be this close to a… a…"

"To a naked woman?" Ann asked, "I'm sorry, but it can't be helped, I really don't want to get a cold."

"But…"

"Just close your eyes and problem solved!" She snapped.

Blushing furiously, Ryoga did as he was told. The sound of her removing her wet clothes didn't help him feel any better, though.

"I'm done." Ann said, "You can look now."

Ryoga opened his eyes slowly to see that Ann had already wrapped herself with the blanked and was working the water out of her hair with the yellow shirt he'd given her.

"Your curse is very interesting." She said after a while, "At least you have some sort of control over it."

"But look what I turn into!" Ryoga snapped, "A defenseless, weak black piglet!"

"Not for long, Ryoga." Ann said, "Once we're out of this green hell, we'll work on getting your cure. Don't forget that."

---6---

After ten days of traveling together, luck finally smiled upon Ryoga and Ann. They were walking by the shore when suddenly, a large boat appeared. Four men were in the boat, and they couldn't believe their eyes when they saw the pair of travelers walking through the jungle.

"Hey!" Ryoga called and waved his arms franticly, anxiously trying to grab the attention of the people in the boat, "Stop! We need help!"

"Stop the boat!" A man ordered. He was well into his fifties and stood on the deck with a surprised look in his face. Just as he ordered, the boat slowed down and approached the shore.

Not long after, the lost pair was aboard the boat, where they got a nice cold water bottle, which they drank quickly.

"Who are you?" Asked the man who seemed to be the leader.

"My name's Ann Davis."

"And I'm Ryoga Hibiki."

"I'm Francesco, the head of this expedition." The man replied, Ryoga and Ann finally noticed he spoke English with a heavy Italian accent, "Where's the rest of your team? I assume you're not traveling alone?"

"That would be suicide!" A second man said, appearing behind Francesco, he was rough and strong looking even if he seemed to be older than Francesco, "My name's Dario by the way." He too, had a strong Italian accent.

"And I'm Sandro." The third man announced. He was younger than the others, but not by much and like the rest, he had a heavy Italian accent, "How long have you been lost?"

"They appear to be lost for a long time." The fourth man stated. He had a deep tan and spoke with an accent that hinted at him being Brazilian. He was also the captain of the ship and the guide of the group, "I am Martin, pleased to meet you."

"We've been lost for long enough." Ann said, "Our team died from malaria nearly a month ago. We followed the river hoping to eventually find another group."

"Thank you for letting us on the boat!" Ryoga added gratefully.

"It's nothing." Dario stared at the two, "Malaria, huh? Good thing we've got the vaccine. Come with me, I'm a dottore, I'll have to check you both."

Ryoga and Ann smiled and gladly followed the doctor.

Later that day, Ryoga and Ann sat together in the deck. They've learned that Francesco and his team were searching for new species in the jungle, specifically insects. So far, it seemed they had succeeded in finding only a new species of mantis.

"I think I'll take a nap." Ann whispered to Ryoga, "I'll have to be very careful tonight so they won't find what happens to me as soon as the sun sets."

Ryoga nodded and watched in silence as his friend entered the cabins.

"Your girlfriend is older than you." Francesco said as he sat beside Ryoga.

"We aren't dating." The lost boy said, "She's a very close friend."

"Good, you need friends to survive here." The man tossed his cigar into the river and stared at Ryoga, "Was your team really searching for the Yanomamos?"

The young man nodded.

"Did you find them?"

Again, Ryoga nodded.

"What are they like?"

"I didn't meet them." Ryoga said, "I stayed in our boat, Ann's the one to talk to if you want information on that tribe."

Francesco laughed, "I don't want information on them, ragazzo."

"What?"

"Ragazzo, teenager." The man explained.

"Oh."

"Like I said, I don't want to get involved with that tribe."

"Why not?" Ryoga asked, "They're not bad people for what I know."

"It's not them."

"What do you mean?"

Francesco sighed, "It's the legends about the area where they live."

"Legends like what?"

"There are many, but the most horrible is the legend of The Green Witch, La Bruja Verde, as the people here call her." Francesco lighted up a new cigar and after a smoke, he continued, "I've heard it's about a woman who was burned tied to a large tree as a punishment for her murders. The next day, when the natives returned to the tree, they were terrified because the tree didn't burn and the witch's remains were not there. Instead there was a large, green scar on the trunk of the tree. That very same day clouds of mosquitoes and flies started to frequent the tree and the legend says that anything stupid or unfortunate enough to get near the tree would go insane and eventually, the tree-witch would kill it."

Ryoga remembered then some of the story Ann told him, about the mosquitoes and flies that attacked her group after they left the Yanomamo village. He shivered.

"Martin is deathly afraid of the legend." Francesco explained, "I don't like legends like that either and since we're looking for insects, in this jungle any place is as good as the next so if we keep away from Yanomamo territory we won't have to worry about running into any witch."

"You sound… as if you believe it exists." Ryoga said.

"Well… I've seen a lot of things in my life, ragazzo." Francesco whispered, "Take the jungles in India for example. I was there twelve years ago and I saw some pretty scary shit, some of which I'm sure was supernatural. I learned to respect the magic of the jungle. You should too."

"I respect it." Ryoga muttered, cold sweat running down his back. Right then, all he cared about was to get out of the jungle, as fast and as soon as possible.

Francesco laughed, "Well, they don't call this place 'El Infierno Verde' for nothing. Don't worry, we'll take you out as soon as our expedition ends, that would be in eight more days or so."

---7---

By their fifth day with the expedition, Ryoga and Ann were already a part of the team. The young Miss Davis, with her scientific experience, made herself helpful in the research department and Ryoga with his great strength has been a good help when it comes to, well, lift heavy things bugs might hide under. They both have worked hard on the boat as well, and they both had managed to hide their curses so far. For the Hibiki boy this is an almost impossible streak of good luck which so far he's been thanking Ann for.

"Ryoga, do you have a girlfriend?" Ann asked as she sat beside Ryoga on the deck.

"A girlfriend?" Ryoga blushed, "I… well... I don't hang around people that much to find a… you know…"

"Because of your problem with directions?

"Yes." He sighed.

"There's not even one girl you like?" Ann pressed.

"…There is one but she…" Again, Ryoga sighed, "She is in love with someone else."

"Oh." Ann remained silent for almost a minute. "Does she even know how you feel?"

"No."

"What about this other guy? He loves her back?"

Ryoga bit his lip, it was a hard thing to admit, but Ranma probably did love Akane.

"Well?"

"I think he does, they fight all the time, but they always make up just like if nothing happened and... he's helped her so many times… she only sees me as a friend"

Ann placed a hand over Ryoga's shoulder, "I'm sorry. I know what it's like to love someone who doesn't love you back and thinks of you only as a good friend. It happened to me in high school."

"What did you do? How did you get over it?" Ryoga asked.

"I told him how I felt. He rejected me. I brooded for a few days and decided to get on with my life."

The lost boy stared at Ann, "Didn't it hurt?"

"A lot. But, you know what Ryoga? Pain goes away eventually. When you understand that there's more to life that just one single person, that there's so many chances to find love somewhere else, all the pain vanishes and you can go on."

"I… guess you're right. I've tried that, but it's so difficult."

"I never said it was easy." Replied Ann, "Don't worry, you'll find someone right for you Ryoga. You're a nice guy. I like you and if I was your age…" She left the sentence hanging in the air and, when he was about to ask, she kissed him quickly and lightly on the cheek, "Cheer up, everything will be fine."

Surprised and with a loss of words, Ryoga could only nod and watch as Ann went back into the cabins. "Thank you." he whispered after several minutes.

By nightfall, the boat arrived to a fork on the river. The path to the left was wide and offered an easy trip with plenty of places to bring the boat ashore. The one to the right was narrow and offered space enough for the boat to cross safely between the abundant vegetation. Before anyone could make a suggestion, Martin, the captain, headed for the right branch at full speed.

"What are you doing scemotto?" shouted a visibly angry Dario.

"Have you lost your mind?" Francesco yelled, "We'll get stuck between the trees!"

"Stop and lets' go back!" ordered Sandro, "We're supposed to go the other way!"

"I can't!" Martin yelled back, "The helm is stuck and I can't brake!"

"Great, just great!" Francesco grumbled as he passed Ryoga and Ann, muttering some insults in Italian. He reached for the radio and called to the team waiting for them in Rio to notify the change of routes. Dario and Sandro shared a few words and cursing angrily, they hurried to check the engine, to see if something was wrong with it.

"I'll go talk to Martin." Ann said, "I don't like this Ryoga. I'm afraid."

"Don't worry, I'm here." He assured her, "I'll protect you, I promise."

Ann found Martin staring blankly ahead, his gaze lost on the green splendor around them and not on the murky waters of the river ahead. His lips were trembling.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"We're dead." he answered, "She's in my head. I can't get her out. She's using me."

Ann gulped and struggled to control the surge of fear that she suddenly felt, "She?"

"La bruja verde." Two tears slid down Martin's cheeks, "She's calling us, she wants our blood for some reason, I've tried to ignore her but… she's too strong."

Despite herself, Ann found herself trembling. Her hands were shaking so hard she had to hide them under her arms to try and stop, "W-witch…?"

Martin cried, "We're going to die!"

"The green witch?" Ann felt her strength leaving her and she slid to the floor. Memories of her friends dying flooding her mind. Memories of her curse and the year she spent alone filled her vision.

The fear then turned into a panic. She couldn't suffer through it again! She just couldn't! "GO BACK NOW!" she yelled, "I don't care how, just go back! Hit reverse or something!"

"I can't!" Martin said, "It's impossible! We're all doomed!"

"What's going on?" Ryoga asked. Francesco and the other Italians came running up behind him.

"The witch wants our lives!" Martin said, "She talks in my head, she wants me first!"

"Ryoga, please do something!" Ann pleaded, clinging to the lost boy as if he was her only hope. "I can't go through this again. I can't!"

"What are you three talking about?" Said Dario, who now feared three members of the team were suffering hallucinations caused by malaria or other tropical illness.

"I'm not letting her take me!" Martin yelled and pushed Ann, Ryoga and the Italians to the side, "I rather die here!" With a maddening laugh, Martin jumped to the river. He hit the dark waters with a loud splash and sank like a rock. He never came up.

"This is stupid!" Sandro shouted as he reached for the helm, "There are no witches or evil spirits here. That man went crazy!"

"Can you move it?" Dario asked, deciding to worry about the witch situation later. His first priority was to recover control of the boat. The engine was in pretty bad shape and their only chance of repairing it was to take the ship ashore and work on it all night.

"I can't!" Sandro shouted back.

"Let me try!" Ryoga offered, but before he could do anything, the boat made a sharp turn to the left, crashing on the low tree branches and causing great damage to the hull.

"We're going to sink!" Ann yelled. She was in a state of panic, and this was about to send her over the edge, "I don't want to die!"

"Nobody will die!" Ryoga growled and taking the helm, he steered the boat further to the left with all his strength. The maneuver, seemingly an insane move, paid off and with a loud crash, the boat ended up safely ashore.

"Everyone alright?" Francesco called.

"I'm good." Dario said nervously.

"Me too." Sandro added as he tried to stop shaking.

"I think I'm fine." Ann said, fear still present in her voice.

"That's good news." Francesco smiled and looked at Ryoga, "Well, at least we're all fine. Thank you kid, you just saved our necks."

Ryoga smiled back, "It was nothing."

"What are we going to do now?" Sandro asked.

"We'll have to wait until tomorrow to do something." Francesco said, "It's too dangerous to leave to boat right now."

---8---

Dario, Sandro and Francesco were furious. After the whole crisis passed and the three Italians were able to examine the engines and the hull from the inside, they almost lost their minds. The boat was not going anywhere. The engine could be repaired, but the hull was a mess. It was a miracle the boat was still in one piece, since the hull was practically cracked from side to side.

Above them, on the deck, Ryoga kept staring at Ann, "Have you noticed it's night already and you're still human?" he asked.

Ann, who was a lot calmer by now, nodded.

"Any ideas why?" The lost boy asked.

"We're close to the green witch." she answered, "I can't recognize this part of the jungle, but I know we're close to her. It wouldn't surprise me if we're actually close to what's left of my boat as well…I think that maybe she lifted the curse, but I don't know why… maybe she wants to kill me as a human."

"She's not going to kill you!" Ryoga said, "I told you I won't let anyone die tonight!"

"I wished I had your confidence." Ann said, "Will you protect me if she attacks?"

"Of course I will." He said, "I promise."

Later that night, Sandro, who was doing the first watch, felt a sting on the back of his neck. It didn't feel like a regular mosquito bite, but he was sure it was one.

"Damn bugs." He complained as he reached to scratch the offended spot, only to feel something still attached there, something that was alive and still sucking blood from the wound. The man frowned and grabbed whatever it was. Bringing his hand under his flashlight to analyze the insect he just caught, Sandro was not ready for what he saw. In his hand, he held now a giant mosquito, as big as a mouse and as green as the leaves of the trees, the abdomen of the insect was swollen with the blood it took from him. Its emerald wings buzzed as it tried to get away.

"Incredible! It's a new species!" He said excitedly.

Sandro, however, never had the chance to tell his teammates of his discovery, a cloud of giant, green mosquitoes fell over him, biting him everywhere, even on his eyes. He tried to scream, but the insects filled his mouth. Panicking, the Italian stumbled and whirled his arms, but it was useless, the mosquitoes wouldn't leave him. When one was full with blood, another took its place immediately. Growing weaker every second, Sandro staggered to the edge of the deck and unable to see where he was, fell to the river. His body sank and never resurfaced. Only a cloud of slowly disbanding mosquitoes marked the spot where he fell. A few minutes later, the cloud of giant mosquitoes vanished into the darkness of the night.

Dario burst through the cabin door with a panicked expression in his face. "I can't find Sandro anywhere!" he yelled. "I went out for the second watch and he's not there!"

"He won't be coming back." Ann whispered to Ryoga's ear, "It's happening all over again Ryoga, we have to stop the witch now or we will all die!"

"I heard that." Francesco said, "I won't allow you to go searching for a ghost!"

"It's not a ghost!" Ann complained, "The witch killed my friends!"

"You said the malaria killed them." The older Italian replied.

"I lied." Ann answered and lowered her head, "I thought you wouldn't help us if I told you about the green witch."

"Francesco, don't listen to them!" Dario complained, "They're obviously insane!"

"I don't think they are." The older Italian said, "You were with me in India Dario. You saw the same things I did. You can't tell me now you don't believe that finding a witch here is impossible?"

Dario took a deep breath and stared at Ryoga and Ann. "No, it's not impossible. But I don't want to go through something like that again."

"Neither do I." Francesco sat and wiped the sweat off his face, "It's getting too damn hot! Ann, this doesn't have anything to do with that green bitch, does it?"

"I don't know." She said, her eyes searching the deep darkness around them, "I really don't know."

"All I know is that I'm calling a damned helicopter!" Dario interrupted, "I'm not waiting until tomorrow like you said Francesco! I won't stay here until we find out if that green hag thing is real or not!"

"Fine, you go do that." Francesco told him, "Before the radio starts malfunctioning."

"I…I will go make some coffee." Ann said and disappeared inside the deck.

Ann offered to make coffee for only one reason: she needed something to keep her fear at bay. She was already scared enough as it was, what with Sandro disappearing and Martin claiming the witch wanted them all dead. Thinking about that was driving her crazy and sitting in the deck was making her more nervous. She slowly passed behind Dario, who was giving the location of the group to the authorities and asking for help. She felt relieved as she listened to the response on the radio: a search party would go find them in a helicopter early next day. The young woman allowed herself a small smile as she prepared the coffee. Help was coming! Thinking about how she was finally leaving the jungle, Ann returned to the deck carrying a tray with three steaming cups.

"Here's the coffee." Ann said, handing a cup to Ryoga, the next to Francesco and she kept the last for herself, "I heard Dario, a helicopter will be coming for us tomorrow."

"Good, I can't wait to get the hell out of here." Francesco nervously lighted a cigar, "I should have known something bad was going to happen. I was feeling it in my bones."

"What's that sound?" Ryoga asked, a low buzzing was filling the air and it was increasing in its intensity.

"I don't know, it sounds as if a swarm is coming this way." Francesco offered; the buzzing grew louder as he said that.

"Whatever it is, I don't like it." Ann said, looking around nervously and seeing nothing in the darkness that surrounded the boat, the buzzing was already almost deafening and circling the wrecked, poorly lit ship they were on.

"I think it's not getting any closer." Ryoga said, "Whatever it is, it's only circling the boat."

"Wait." Francesco frowned, "It stopped."

"I hope it's gone." Ann said with a low voice.

A minute later, an unnaturally large fly landed on the edge of Ryoga's cup and he swapped it away. The bug, however, returned instantly. Followed by another and another until all the deck was covered with flies.

"What the hell is gong on?" Ryoga exclaimed, waving his hands to scare away the flies.

"They just keep coming!" Ann yelled, "What are we going to do?"

"I don't...what?" Ryoga could never finish his sentence, because in that moment, a wave of flies descended over the deck, smashing into everything that was on their path. They were so many that for a moment nobody could see anything.

"Don't move!" Ann shouted, trying to be heard amidst the buzzing chaos, "You could fall into the river!"

"Ann, where are you?" Ryoga called, punching at the flies in a useless attempt to drive them back. For a moment, the young man could have sworn that the swarm took the shape of a monstrous hand that closed on something.

The sudden attack, however, didn't last much, just as fast as it fell on them, the swarm of flies vanished into the night.

"Boy, get up!" Francesco yelled, "Ann is gone!"

Ryoga, who had been tossed aside by the flies' final onslaught, coughed a couple of times and rose immediately to his feet, "What did you say?"

"He said the flies took your friend!" Dario explained, "I'm sorry kid, but she's dead."

"She is not dead!" Ryoga shouted back, "Not as long as I'm here!"

"And what are you going to do?" Dario asked, "Go after her? You don't even know where the flies took here and running into the jungle at night is suicide!"

"I don't care!" The lost boy replied, "I promised her I wouldn't let her die!"

"She wouldn't like it if you die for nothing." Francesco said, trying to calm Ryoga down, "Face it kid, she's as good as gone."

"No! I can't accept it!" Ryoga screamed his fury at the night and jumped into the black jungle in front of him.

"Wait!" Francesco called, "Come back!"

"Don't waste your breath Francesco." Dario said sadly, "It's useless, we're not going to see them again."

---9---

"Please, don't let me get lost!" Ryoga pleaded to every god he'd ever heard about as he rushed into the jungle. He hit vines and low tree branches as he ran, but that didn't even slow him down. All that mattered to Ryoga in that moment was to find Ann. And when Ryoga Hibiki ran in a fury, almost nothing could stop him.

He ran for what felt like hours, growing more and more tired with each step, until he finally fell on the muddy ground. The lost boy wondered why he was so tired if everything was still so dark around him. He couldn't have been running for that long. He shouldn't have gotten that tired so soon. He tried to get up again, but his legs refused to support him and again he fell, this time, he could do nothing as darkness claimed him.

---10---

Ryoga woke up and he immediately felt sick. A horrible, indescribable smell filled his nostrils. The lost boy felt like he was about to retch. The stench was so terrible he felt he was going mad. He tried desperately to cover his nose, only to discover he was bound by something incredibly resistant. The lost boy swiftly opened his eyes. If he had to stay in this place he at least wanted to know what it was that reeked so badly.

What he saw then made him wish he had kept his eyes shut. He was tied by a very strong vine and hanging from the branch of a strange tree about two meters above the ground. The tree in front of him was a vision of madness; twisted and large, it was no more than ten meters tall, but most of its branches were dry and curled in the air like claws. The trunk was wide and was marked from the bottom to the top by a green scar that appeared to be made from a crystal of some sort.

This scar emitted a strong pulse and it shined bright enough to illuminate a large area around it. Ryoga glanced around and finally understood why the place stank. Around the base of the tree there was a large clearing were nothing else grew. All he could see on that barren ground were the bones of countless animals. He could see also fresher bodies that were just starting to decompose piled near the tree. He felt sick as he recognized human skulls and, close to the tree, the rotting corpse of a native that still had flesh over his bones.

Countless flies and mosquitoes flew around the tree in organized lines and patterns almost as if they were being guided by an intelligent mind. Below him, the flies were feasting on the corpses, creating the illusion that some parts of the ground actually moved on their own. Ryoga noticed that the mosquitoes came and went in large quantities, and that every time a group returned, it landed in the center of that horrible and green, crystal-like scar and remained there for a few seconds before flying away, but as soon as it did this, a new group of mosquitoes took its place. The mosquitoes kept doing this for a long time before they contented themselves with just flying around the tree. The young man, by now used enough to the smell to actually stand it, noticed that something was hanging from a branch to his left, but it was covered by the vines, so he didn't know what it was. Perhaps it was another victim of the tree, some poor native that would die before or after him?

"It could be Ann." Ryoga thought and shivered.

And then, words started to ring inside his head. They were not his own and he could not understand what those words meant, but little by little, the words formed images, and the images formed thoughts. Those, he could understand. Listening to the thoughts, Ryoga understood where he was. He was hanging from the tree where The Green Witch had been burned alive. The lost boy paled a little as he considered what he now knew. When the natives left her for death, the witch had merged with the tree and somehow had managed to retain her consciousness. Using the flies and mosquitoes she could easily control with her strong will, she was able to find the blood her new form needed to live.

"How long has she been here?" Ryoga sweated, and looking fearfully at the large scar that ran all over the tree, he wondered if it hadn't spread underground as well. If that was the case, then the witch was now an enormous, rotting beast which fed on the blood of the creatures of the jungle; an entity which possessed an ever increasing magical power that, if not stopped, someday could envelope the whole jungle.

"This thing has no right to exist." The young martial artist muttered, his eyes fixed over the green, crystal-like scar. When Ryoga tried to find a way to free the world of this atrocity, a new avalanche of words turned into thoughts entered his mind. The young martial artist gasped. The thoughts the witch was sending him almost drove him mad. She apparently didn't want to kill him, she wanted him as a bodyguard until she was used to her new human body.

"What human body?" Ryoga asked to the tree.

The answer came when the tree branch at his left moved and allowed him a better view of what was hanging from it: a blonde, unconscious woman wrapped in vines so tightly that it was a wonder she could still breath.

"ANN!" Ryoga shouted, "I won't let you have her! Hurt her and I'll destroy you!"

The vine around Ryoga's body tightened as a response to his threat. Slowly, more images entered the mind of the young martial artist. The images were terrible, showing Ryoga the fate he would face if he defied the creature that lived inside the tree; images of him being drained of blood by the gigantic mosquitoes that flew around the tree, of his body being crushed to death by the vines and finally, of his falling to the ground where he would feed the flies and maggots.

Ryoga growled. Letting this bitch use Ann as a host body was not an option. He would never allow it! Ann was his friend!

"I can't let you have her!" he shouted at the tree and burning with resolve, he gritted his teeth and called for every ounce of strength he still had left in one last desperate attempt to free himself. The vines binding him stretched and resisted him until finally they yielded with a loud snap.

And Ryoga fell. He hit the ground with a loud thud, crushing the bones and the rotting corpses of several animals as he did so. Dizzy from the fall and the horrid smell of putrefaction, the young man managed to get back on his feet and faced the terrible tree.

"You will not have Ann, I won't let you!" The lost boy cried his challenge and as he did so, an endless amount of images entered his mind, forming lascivious thoughts of what the witch would do to him if she could have Ann's body and thoughts of what she would do to him if he opposed her.

"Stop it!" Ryoga yelled, holding his head in his hands, the massive attack of alien thoughts was about to send him into a sensory overload.

But the witch did not stop. Glowing fiercely green, the crystal scar in the tree increased its assault on the mind of the young martial artist. The witch's plan was simple: Fry Ryoga's brain with her power and let him to rot here while she possessed the woman's body. The witch was certain it was a perfect strategy as she sensed the young man squirm. Residing inside her crystallized tomb embedded into the tree, the spirit drank from Ryoga's pain as if it was the tastiest wine in the world. The boy could not stop her, it was impossible!

The images didn't stop. The thoughts increased and were driving him crazy. Screaming, Ryoga fell to his knees and crushed something under his weight, releasing a putrid smell that almost made him vomit. It seemed useless, he couldn't get the witch out of his mind, he couldn't even think, he felt like if his brain would melt out of his skull and he couldn't do anything to stop it.

"Get off my head!" The lost boy shouted, "Get OUT!"

The entity rejoiced at the sight. Soon the boy would be dead and nobody could stop her from possessing a new host. After decades trapped inside her crystalline tomb, she would finally be free to retrieve revenge on the Yanomamos for what they did to her. Still, her powerful spirit needed more in order to fully take over the body of the woman she cursed with the jaguar transfiguration spell. She had to feed to increase her power, and the blood running through the veins of the strong boy dying in front of her would be a great, almost perfect meal. Content with the idea, the spirit commanded her mosquitoes to bleed the boy to dead.

Ryoga was on all fours now, straining to keep a hold over his mind, sweat crowning his brow, his muscles tensing like steel wire but the effort seemed useless, the witch was not stopping. Then, one after another, the large mosquitoes landed on his skin and started to bite. In less than five seconds, he was practically covered in mosquitoes, only his face was not being attacked. As soon as one of the mosquitoes finished stealing his blood, another took its place. Ryoga tried to squash them, but it didn't help, there were so many of them, that even if he managed to kill a few, thousands were ready to replace them. The young man raised his eyes and saw something that sent shivers down his spine. The mosquitoes, full with his blood, flew straight to the green, crystal-like scar and landed over it, "She's feeding off me." Ryoga thought and then, he passed out.

Inside the green, crystal-like scar that ran through the tree, which the entity had made soft and malleable to allow her mosquitoes to feed her the delicious blood, rested the burnt and decaying remains of the green witch. Her body died a long time ago, except for her heart and her brain. Those two organs still lived and they were enough to keep her tied to the mortal plane, trapped inside a cocoon made of green crystal, but still living. Gloating, the witch enjoyed the energy that came with the chi charged blood she was receiving. It was incredibly delicious!

Ryoga regained consciousness and groaned, he felt incredibly weak and drained. He had no idea how long had he been out. He could feel his body still covered by those cursed insects, but he didn't think he had the strength needed to get them off.

"_Well then, nice to meet you Ryoga Hibiki!"_ The lost boy's eyes snapped open. He remembered Ann saying that. Only then he noticed that the witch's mental onslaught had stopped, he could think by himself again! Unfortunately, all he could think about that moment was how he had failed his friend.

"_Great! I thought I forgot how to cook!"_ Ryoga remembered the time Ann said that, she had just cooked him a fantastic stew. Damn it, was he just too weak to help her?

"_Ryoga, we're getting out of this jungle, right? I can count on you to help me find a way out of here, right?"_ The young man cursed under his breath, Ann once asked him that and he promised he would help, but now…

"_I like you and if I was your age…"_ Ryoga's hands turned into fists as he remembered the way Ann said that and the innocent kiss she gave him in the cheek immediately after. It was a shame he couldn't save her. It was a shame he couldn't save himself.

"_There's not even one girl you like?"_ Ann once asked him that, and they talked about… Akane? Yes, he remembered the conversation now. Ryoga groaned and forced his arms under his body to get up. He was not going to die without telling Akane how he felt, and he was not going to let Ann die if he could help it. Slowly, he started to move.

Something was wrong and the entity noticed it immediately. The boy was moving. It was not supposed to happen! He should be about to die, yet he was emanating energy like a small sun, why, WHY? The witch suddenly felt fear, for the first time since her death. A human being shouldn't be able to move after receiving her mental onslaught and being almost sucked dry of blood much less radiate a power that strong. It was impossible!

Ryoga was depressed. He couldn't help Ann before and now she was up there, hanging from a branch, soon to be consumed by the horrid hag who lived inside the tree. He had been a fool and tried to attack the witch head on without a plan. He'd lost a lot of blood and felt like dying. He could possibly never see Akane again. He would never see his parents again. The young man found all that incredibly depressing, and when Ryoga Hibiki was depressed, he expelled chi, huge quantities of it.

The sick, bluish chi Ryoga expelled was so heavy, that the mosquitoes and flies couldn't fly in it. All the insects flying around him and all the mosquitoes attached to his body fell to the floor and died, crushed by Ryoga's aura. Little by little, the lost boy managed to get up, his aura expanding several meters as he did so, surrounding him and the horrid tree, "I have to stop you here!" Ryoga shouted as he took one step in the direction of the tree.

The entity felt her fear rising. What the hell was that boy? How could he be so powerful after all she did to him? The green witch could not understand it. Panicking, the witch sent a new mental onslaught to the young man, but he did not stop. He kept moving! That could not be! How could he do it? The witch's fear reached new heights as she desperately tried to kill the young man with her psychic attack.

Ryoga finally reached the tree and stared right at the shiny green crystal. His depression had somehow shielded his mind from the witch's attack, but he still felt some of it. Now, staring at the putrid tree in front of him, he fixated on the spot that shined stronger than the rest. It was probably the heart of the witch. If that was the case, then that was his target. Ryoga raised his hands and…

The green witch entered into a state of full panic. She didn't know what to do, how to stop this crazy human who was so close to destroy her. In her desperate fear, the witch chose to flood the young man's mind with a barrage of thoughts that would depress him enough for him to stop fighting. Unfortunately, the entity had no idea of what it was that fueled the man's chi; all that she hoped was that he would stop…

Ryoga felt how his mind filled with thoughts and images of him dying, of Ann dying and turning into the witch's new host body. He bared his fangs and closed his eyes; he thought those images were too depressing, they actually made him feel worse. Ryoga felt his sadness, found power in it and realized what to do. He could stop the witch with this power; he was possibly going to die with her, here in this cruel jungle. But if Ann lived, his sacrifice would mean something. Going limp, Ryoga allowed the depressive Chi around him gather close to his body. It was ready.

"You are finished." he said to the tree, knowing that the witch could hear him, "You will never again hurt anyone… SHISHI HOKOUDAN!"

And then, Ryoga unleashed his own version of hell…

---11---

The jungle was briefly illuminated by what seemed like a bluish star that shot to the sky. Back on the ground, a drained Ryoga Hibiki waited for the massive ball of chi to come back, crushing everything around him.

Everything around him, including… Ann!

No, he wouldn't let that happen! Recovering his senses, Ryoga looked at his left; she still was there above him, hanging from the tree. The chi ball was already descending; it was a matter of only a few seconds before it destroyed everything.

"No, I can let her die!" He reached for his bandanna and threw it at the vines. Ryoga watched, holding his breath as his bandanna flew through the air. Would it cut his friend free? Just when he thought he had aimed too high, the bandana changed directions and cut through the vines! Ann was free!

The chi ball was closer now; he didn't have much time left.

Ignoring the green witch, who was shrieking madly in his mind, a desperate Ryoga ran and then jumped, catching Ann in midair.

The ball of heavy chi was about to hit the ground.

"Damn it all!" Ryoga yelled as he landed. He ran as fast as he could, he had to get out of the blast radius or else Ann could get hurt, "I will save you Ann, I swear I will!" making one last effort, Ryoga increased his speed, he was sure he could make it.

The ball of heavy impacted. It crushed everything with unbelievable force and released a flash of light that for one instant, turned night into day.

---12---

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

Ryoga groaned and slowly, he opened his eyes. His whole body hurt, he felt even worse than the time Ranma used the Hiryu Shoten Ha on him. He smiled when he saw Ann sitting in front of him. She seemed to be fine, he did it. He saved her, "How do you feel?"

The young woman smiled back, "I should be the one asking that question, my dear Ryoga. But I'm not hurt if that's what you're wondering, what about you?"

With some effort, the lost boy managed to get up and sit, "I've been better. But I'll be alright very soon."

"I assume all this is your doing?" Ann asked. Behind her was a crater, several meters wide and about two meters deep.

Inside the hole were the remains of trees and in the very center, Ryoga could see what looked like a small glittering piece of green glass. Other than that, he couldn't see the horrible tree.

"I did it to kill the green witch… did I…?" Ryoga asked, "Is she truly gone?"

"I can't feel her horrid presence trying to enter my mind anymore. The air is clean and the flies are gone." Ann looked back, "You destroyed her tree completely. She's dead Ryoga, you killed that monster and you saved me… thank you."

The lost boy nodded, "I'm glad you're fine. I was worried that I couldn't save you."

"But you did." Ann replied, "And I'm very grateful."

"I had to do it. I promised you I would protect you, remember?"

"Yes, you did." Ann sighed, "…Ryoga?"

"What?"

Ann didn't say anything and just hugged him.

"Ann… what?" Ryoga blushed furiously and practically turned into stone.

"It's nothing…" She whispered in his ear, "I'm just happy that you're my friend and… Ryoga, could you hold me?"

Slowly, Ryoga closed his arms around her, remembering not to squeeze very hard. It felt… nice. He could feel her warmth spread into him. The lost boy closed his eyes and decided to enjoy this for as long as he could; it had been a long time since he was able to have contact with someone like this.

"Ryoga?" Ann called.

"Yeah?"

"You stink like a dead fish." She said, but she kept on hugging him.

The young Hibiki recalled falling on top of a small mountain of rotting corpses last night during his fight with the witch, "I know." he replied, but didn't break the hug.

"Can't you do anything about it?"

"Yeah, but then I would turn into a pig." he answered, referring to the fact that if he bathed in the nearby river, his curse would activate.

"You already smell like one." Ann said to him and started laughing.

"I know. I'm sorry." And then, Ryoga Hibiki laughed as well.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of a helicopter approaching. Not long after that, the machine landed on the clearing and Francesco quickly jumped out to greet his two young friends.

"It's a miracle that you two are alive!" the Italian said, "Did you see that flash of light last night? I thought it was a bomb!"

"Something like that." Ryoga told him.

"It isn't important." Ann said, looking at the helicopter, "Let's get out of here! I can't stay one more minute in this jungle!"

"What are you two going to do now?" Dario asked. Everybody was already inside the helicopter and flying towards Rio de Janeiro.

"I'm going back home." Ann replied, "I can't wait to see my parents!" The young woman looked at Ryoga, "I hope you agree to stay with me for a few days, after that I'll take you to that place in China you told me about. What you say?"

Ryoga Hibiki looked at Ann and slowly, a smile formed in his face, "I say… that sounds great!"

END.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Notes:

Scemotto: Fool.

I tried to give this fanfic a 'B' movie feel, with all the cheap adventure and horror elements, I guess it could have been better, but I still like the way it came out, though.

Special thanks to my beta readers:

Allergi: for helping me greatly with the grammar and continuity of the story, as well with some of the dialogues.

JSB: for helping me decide the rating of the fic, as well as for giving me very useful comments about Ann's character.


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